Few big game animals have had as much fame among the hunting fraternity as has the Marco Polo sheep or argali. In the history of wild sheep hunting, Marco Polo’s argali is unique for it was considered a mythical creature and one the greatest mysteries in the history of Asian natural history. Among Asian hunters it is one of the most coveted trophies and among sheep hunters it is the ultimate sheep trophy. Yet it is only relatively recently that it was known to the hunting world. It was first brought to the attention of the Europeans by Marco Polo who claimed there was a giant sheep in central Asia whose horns were so long that natives constructed fences with their horns. The Pamir argali was considered a figment of Marco Polo’s imagination until 600 years later when in 1840, Lt. John…